German Economy Minister 'Disenchanted' by Greek Reform Efforts - Report
08/12/2012| 07:45am US/Eastern
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German economy minister Philipp Roesler has expressed disappointment at Greece's efforts to implement the reforms tied to its international aid program, according to a preview of an interview to be published Monday.
"I am disenchanted," Mr. Roesler, who is also Germany's vice chancellor, told German news magazine Focus. "The promises from Athens have largely remained unfulfilled."
The minister complained that while Germany's government and businesses have offered Greece a "series of support measures...the Greek side has hardly used any of our offers."
Mr. Roesler also underlined comments by Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker that a Greek exit from the euro zone "isn't our aim, but would be manageable," the newspaper said.
Last month, Mr. Roesler caused a stir by warning he had "great skepticism" about whether Greece would meet its commitments under the memorandum of understanding for its 173 billion euro ($210 billion) international aid program, and said discussing the possibility of a Greek exit was no longer taboo.
Separately, the minister told Handelsblatt that Germany's economic growth is likely to slow.
While the economy "remains robust", Mr. Roesler said he expects a "cooling of growth" as leading indicators have shown that businesses are "acting cautiously."
Write to Tom Fairless at tom.fairless@dowjones.com
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